


Trust but Verify

by dress_to_obsess



Series: Lead to Gold [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Case Fic, Gen, Harm to Children, Mainly Emily's POV on Edward, Mentioned Alphonse Elric, No Romance, POV Outsider, Sort Of, he shows up briefly at the end
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26960956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dress_to_obsess/pseuds/dress_to_obsess
Summary: At the scene of the latest in a string of brutal murders, Prentiss spots a boy with golden eyes watching from the crowd. When the team encounters him again in connection with the next attack, Edward Elric winds up squarely at the top of their suspect list. But something's not adding up, and the BAU will have to decide who they can trust in order to solve the case before the killer strikes again.Meanwhile…Since he and Al found themselves in another universe three years ago, bodies intact, Ed has been living a relatively quiet life. But a serial killer has begun to stalk the streets of their city, and he's never been one to stand by when innocent lives are at stake.
Relationships: Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric, Edward Elric & The BAU Team
Series: Lead to Gold [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967470
Comments: 24
Kudos: 161





	1. The Boy in Red

Special Agent Emily Prentiss slid from the back of a black SUV and stepped out onto the street, squinting accusingly at the gray sky. The persistent drizzle was no more than a passing annoyance to the assembled gawkers that the local LEOs were halfheartedly trying to usher away from their crime scene, but with each passing second it washed precious evidence into the gutters. 

It was evidence they didn’t have time to lose. This was the second body in as many weeks. The second _child_ , murdered in the streets of Baltimore and left to bleed out in the rain. Years working in the BAU had taught her to keep her distance and not take things personally, but it always stung when the cases hit close to home. This one was practically their own backyard; they didn’t even have to take the jet. 

Hotch and Morgan had stayed behind at the station to speak with the local police and get up to speed on the investigation so far. Reid and Rossi were already beside the body, speaking in low tones with the detective in charge of the scene. JJ had moved off to help contain the crowd. Mercifully the media was not yet fanning the flames of panic, but their current audience meant their respite would be short-lived.

Emily ran her eyes over the shuffling onlookers, scanning their faces and body language for suspicious behavior.

A flash of red caught her eye. 

A boy stood among the gathered gawkers, the hood of a red jacket pulled over his head. The fabric was still vibrant though darkened by the rain. The bright color had made her notice the boy, but his piercing gaze made her take note. His eyes were riveted to the gruesome scene, a point of stillness among the shifting, murmuring crowd. 

Emily’s eyes flicked to follow his sightline to the body, inadequately shielded from view by a thin tarp. An officer pulled it back for a brief moment, exposing blood and sightless eyes to the chill air. She watched the boy’s reaction. While the crowd around him was stirred into a brief flurry of disgust and morbid fascination, he stood his ground and gritted his teeth. Fury, not fear, was written across his face. His lips contorted into a near snarl as his hands curled into fists by his sides. He turned on his heel, something almost military in his movement, and wove through the crowd out of sight. 

Emily moved to pursue, but by the time she had made her way out into the open the boy had disappeared. She swore under her breath. JJ shot her a questioning look.

“It might be nothing–” she began.

JJ raised an eyebrow. "With that tone? Doesn't sound like nothing."

Emily relayed her odd sighting to JJ, and repeated it to the rest of the team once they had gathered back at the station. They mulled it over in light of their other findings. It was odd, to be sure, but oddness alone was hardly damning. The other evidence failed to add up. An analysis of the wounds indicated an unusually tall unsub, and their preliminary profile pointed to someone older, a loner who would be uncomfortable in any sort of crowd. 

“An accomplice?” Reid suggested.

“Perhaps, but nothing so far has indicated a partnership.” Hotch said. “We can’t ignore it, but for now the profile is our priority,” he decided. “For the time being, we’ll just keep an eye out.”

Garcia promised to keep a lookout on cameras and dig up what she could based on the admittedly scant information. 

“Any identifying features to narrow my search, my lovelies?” she asked.

Emily frowned. “Now that you mention it, it could have just been the light but I could have sworn his eyes were golden.”

"Unusual indeed. Well, no guarantees, but I will let you know what I can sniff out!"

As the team moved on to discuss the other evidence at hand, Emily put the boy from her mind. By the end of the day Garcia had turned up nothing of note that might identify him, and she had almost convinced herself it was truly nothing but an irrelevant oddity. 

Almost, but not quite.


	2. Growing Suspicions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing to see that people are enjoying this already! This chapter is where the plot really begins, so in the spirit of Criminal Minds, we’ll begin with a quote…

_“Every life is complicated, every mind a kingdom of unmapped mysteries.” – Dean Koontz_

* * *

The whole team had elected to pull a late night at the station to catch up on the case. Even though it was well after 10:00, they were all still gathered around the conference table, files and crime scene photos spread across every available surface.

Emily rubbed her temples, feeling her patience wearing thin against a building sense of futility at their lack of progress. She glanced over at the break counter in the corner. Reid was already there, mixing together a fresh cup of the sugary sludge he called coffee. She weighed the possibility of getting another cup herself. 

She nearly jumped out of her skin as the sound of Hotch’s ringtone broke shrilly through the silence. 

_Better hold off on the caffeine for tonight,_ she decided.

Reid quickly rejoined the group as Hotch answered the call. He put it on speaker.

“There’s been another attack.” Penelope’s voice sounded tinny and a little breathless over the speaker. “9-1-1 just got a report of a man attacking a young girl barely a mile from the previous crime. She’s okay, thank God. Well, as okay as someone can be after being knocked over the head in an alley by a serial killer with a knife in the freezing rain—”

“Garcia, focus.” Hotch cut in.

“Right, sorry. Anyway, some Good Samaritan with miraculous timing was passing by and stepped in. Sounds like they fought, but our unsub unfortunately managed to give him and the police the slip.”

“Another attack this soon?” Reid wondered aloud. “That’s quite the acceleration.”

Hotch frowned. “Do we have an ID on the victim?” 

“Yessir. Alice Bennet. She’s only 13, poor thing. No word on the identity of her savior though.” 

“And where are they now?”

“They’ve both been sent to Johns Hopkins Medical. As far as I know, both the victim and our knight-in-shining-armor are stable and out of danger.”

“How do we know it’s our guy?” Morgan asked. “Could it be an unrelated attack?”

“In the struggle he apparently dropped a knife almost identical to our forensic composite. It’s unusual enough that the first responders recognized it as the one matching our case.”

Hotch gathered up the files scattered in front of him and pulled out his keys. 

“Prentiss, you and Morgan get to the hospital and stay with the victim. Get what information you can from her and the witness, but keep an eye out. Our unsub may try to finish what he started.”

“I’ll call in to request protective custody for her on the way over,” Emily said. 

“Good. The rest of us will head to the crime scene before the trail goes cold; we’ll meet up at the station when we’re finished. Garcia, I want you on traffic cams, surveillance footage, anything you can pull. If he left a trace, digital or otherwise, we need to find it.”

“Way ahead of you sir.”

“Let’s move, people.”

* * *

Garcia had called ahead to let the hospital know they were coming. A doctor met them at the entrance with an outstretched hand, introducing herself as Dr. Pollard.

She requested to see their badges and spent some moments examining them to her satisfaction before she led them briskly into the hospital. She updated them on her patient as she went.

“I can’t divulge details, you understand, but I can tell you she’s stable and expected to make a full recovery. I’m afraid you won’t be able to speak with her until her parents or CPS arrive as I’m sure you know.” 

She shot them a sidelong glance as if daring them to challenge her. When they didn’t, she continued. “Even then, the poor girl might not be up to saying much. I can’t imagine what’ll be running through her head. I’m guessing this was the same guy as the others?”

Emily exchanged a look with Morgan. JJ had been able to keep the media under wraps so far. News of the murders was still being reported, but not as an ongoing pattern.

Dr. Pollard noticed their expressions. “The FBI tends not to come around for a run-of-the-mill random attack, no matter how horrific. I can put two-and-two together.” 

Emily nodded. 

The doctor paused momentarily and leveled a steady gaze at them. “Do you think he might try again?”

“It’s unlikely in such a crowded place,” Emily explained, “but we aren’t taking any chances.”

She nodded and continued to lead them deeper into the hospital. Emily noted with appreciation that they were headed down a quiet side hallway lined with private rooms, far from the controlled chaos of the emergency room.

“Any word on the bystander?" Morgan asked. "We heard he was injured too."

“I wasn’t the one to treat him, but he was a less serious case, that’s all I know.”

As they neared their destination, Emily began to make out the sound of voices from up ahead.

This first voice, who she guessed was a nurse, sounded exasperated. 

“Sir, please let me take you back to your bed so you can lie down. The police are on their way. They’ll handle this.”

A derisive scoff preceded the second person’s response.

“If they cared at all they’d already be here. And I’m fine, I just need to see her,” he insisted.

“She’s sleeping right now, visitors aren’t permitted—”

“Fine, then I’ll wait out here.”

Emily picked up the pace for the last few steps until she rounded the final corner, bringing the speakers into view. 

She tensed instantly, hand inching toward her gun. The same boy from the second crime scene was glaring daggers at the nurse standing between him and the door to the girl’s room. 

Noting her reaction, Morgan slid up to flank her, holding out an arm to keep Dr. Pollard back.

“Is he–” he started to ask.

“The boy from the crime scene.” Emily confirmed, not taking her eyes off him.

“Ed?” Dr. Pollard’s surprised voice came from behind them. “What are you doing here?”

The boy, Ed apparently, zeroed in on Emily and Morgan, scanning over them in a practiced threat assessment. Emily saw his eyes narrow as he registered that they were armed. He stepped around the nurse, placing himself staunchly between the agents and the door. His hands lifted halfway, balled into fists and ready for a fight.

“You know him?” Morgan asked the doctor.

“His brother was a patient of mine.” Dr. Pollard sidestepped his outstretched arm and made her way over to the boy. “Ed, what’s going on here?”

Ed ignored her in favor of staring down the agents. “Who the hell let them in?” he asked.

“I did, Mr. Elric. Now please explain why you’re trying to get into my patient’s room.”

“That piece of shit who attacked her is still out there. He could come back, and I’m not about to give him the opportunity to try again,” he growled, crossing his arms defiantly. “Besides, I promised Alice I’d be here when she woke up.”

Emily raised an eyebrow. So the mystery boy from the second crime scene also happened to be their lucky bystander?

The nurse cut in. “Dr. Pollard, maybe you can convince Mr. Elric that his injury is far more than ‘just a scratch’ and that he needs to sit down before he faints!”

“With all due respect, Doc, this was hardly my first fight. I know how much I can handle. I’m not going anywhere.”

Dr. Pollard pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “I won't make you go anywhere, but if you don’t get your ass in a chair I _will_ call Al.”

His bravado faltered. “You wouldn’t!”

“Try me.”

He looked mutinous for a moment longer, but eventually conceded to sit in one of the chairs bolted beside the door with a huff. He went back to staring down Morgan and Emily.

“What are they doing here?”

“These are Special Agents Morgan and Prentiss with the FBI. They’re here to speak to Alice.”

“Hasn’t she been through enough? Your interrogation can wait,” Ed hissed.

“We understand that, and we won’t push her unless she’s ready to talk,” Emily explained, “But we need to know about her attacker. As you said yourself, he’s still at large.” 

He jerked a thumb toward his chest. “You have me right here. I’ll give you whatever information I can to take that bastard down.”

Determination was all she saw in his striking eyes, but an earnest appearance alone couldn’t place him above suspicion. She exchanged another glance with Morgan, certain he was thinking the same thing. The coincidence was too much to ignore, and they would need to proceed carefully in case his involvement was not as innocent as it appeared.

Their silent communication was interrupted by the flurried arrival of Alice’s parents, led by a CPS worker. Her mother was in a wide-eyed panic, tossing out questions left and right and then rambling on without waiting for a response. Her father remained silent, wreathed in a sort of baffled, directionless rage.

Emily, Morgan and the doctor fielded them as best they could before the nurse ushered them into the room, allowing them to disappear inside with the CPS worker and Dr. Pollard. Their absence left the agents alone with their suspicious witness.

Ed, who had stood during the quick exchange, sat back down with a sigh. He didn’t kick up a fuss about being left outside like Emily half expected he would. Instead, he crossed his arms and stared at the floor in silence.

Emily took advantage of the momentary peace to examine him more closely. Despite the chill of the hallway, he wasn’t wearing a jacket. His black T-shirt exposed surprisingly muscled arms, and a stark white bandage wound along his right forearm, no doubt covering up a long cut. Another bandage was wrapped around his right knuckles.

Then there were the scars. 

This close, she could see thin marks from old injuries scattered across his skin. By the angle and distribution, she guessed all but one were old defensive wounds. 

_Not his first fight, indeed._

The exception was a snarled patch of scar tissue midway up his left bicep. He shifted in his seat, and she was startled to find that whatever had caused it looked to have gone straight through his arm and out the other side. 

Emily wondered where the scars had come from. She wondered if there were more, hidden beneath the bandage on his arm or his clothes. 

She had hoped that finding the boy would shed light on their case, but she was starting to get the feeling that nothing was simple when Edward Elric was involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the plot thickens! I don’t know why I love introductions between potential allies that are fraught with suspicion, but they’re my favorites.
> 
> How was it? Too much talking? Not enough Alphonse? Let me know what you think!


End file.
